Pages

Friday, July 24, 2015

Pawsome Pet of the Week - Morris the Cat

Welcome to another edition of Pawsome Pet of the Week here at Pawsitively Pets! Today, I have a spectacular interview with Morris the Cat. Chances are you've heard of him before. Morris is the world's most famous feline and iconic 9Lives brand spokescat.

Morris the Cat is the star of over 50 9Lives cat food commercials that date back to the 1970s. America's favorite feline is a busy guy and always on the go, (He's still recovering and napping from his trip to South by Southwest as a feline technology correspondent.) so I'm fortunate to have had the opportunity to interview him. We talked about show biz, naps, and how he’s giving back through his new effort called
‘Live Well & Prospurr'.Morris the Cat has been a TV star since the 1970s, but yet he still looks amazingly youthful. I had to know his secret.

"People
ask me all the time if I’ve had work done. But in fact, my whiskers stay perky
thanks to a disciplined regimen of napping, sleeping, napping some more, eating
(9Lives, of course), and just generally hanging
out. I want to emphasize this last one because even though it’s categorically
important for our health and happiness, it’s also the easiest to forget as we
go about our busy lives. That’s why I developed my Official Guide to Relaxing,
Chillin’, Unwinding & More. (I had to take some time away from hanging out to write it, but I hope
you’ll agree it was well worth it.)"

Morris's new guide had me intrigued and I wanted to know more. Thankfully, both felines and humans can benefit from the guide that he's worked so hard on.

"The
guide was written for all species, both two- and four-legged. And let’s face
it, cats are pretty good at hanging out
already. I know relaxing can be daunting—what with work, kids, errands, and
chores—but that’s why I created the 5 levels of hanging out. Even the most stressed out person can master Level 1:
Kicking Back. Then, as people get more comfortable with the idea of just relaxing, they can move on to the higher
levels and ultimately achieve what I like to call Prospurr."

Being a human myself, I'm not familiar with what "Prospurr" is. I asked Morris to fill me in. How does someone know when they've achieved "Prospurr"?

"Excellent
question, Ann. Prospurr is the Holy
Grail of hanging out. It’s not so
much an action as a state of mind, but purr-haps I could describe it best like
this: It’s like the moment you flop onto the couch after a hard day, mixed with
the tingling sensation of getting scratched behind the ears, rolled into the
drool-inducing taste of a bowl of 9Lives. You humans out there probably haven’t
tried 9Lives, so you’ll just have to trust me on this one. For more tips on hanging out, go to this website that I
built with my own four paws: http://prospurr.9lives.com/"

Since Morris the Cat has been around for quite a while, I wanted to know how he keeps up with the times. Technology is always changing and evolving, but Morris seems to be a pretty tech savvy guy.

"I chase
the times like a red-laser dot, and I’m always on the lookout for cool new tech
gadgets that help cats and humans live well. One of my new favorites is the
Apple Watch—it lets me track how much time I spend ‘napping’ versus the time I
spend ‘sleeping.’ AND, today it told me that I took 19 steps going from my bed
to my food dish—nothing like working up a sweat before a big meal."

True. A handsome Hollywood celibri-cat like Morris needs to keep up his appearance after all. Morris doesn't let all this fame go to his head, though. He was a rescued cat himself and he hasn't forgotten his roots.

"I’m very lucky, but to me, being a celebricat isn’t about
paw-ty hopping or head-booping Hollywood royalty. It’s about enjoying the
simple pleasures that let me live well—and helping others to do the same. You
may not know this but I was actually a rescue cat in Chicago before I was
‘discovered.’ This year, with your support, I’m donating a million meals to the
ASPCA. Every time you tweet using #MorrisFeeds I’ll donate a bowl of 9Lives to
a kitty in need. And I haven’t forgotten about my human fans: Go to http://prospurr.9lives.com for a chance to win $300 towards a relaxing getaway… You
deserve it!"

Isn't Morris such a generous guy? I surely think so. Special thanks to Morris the Cat for taking time out of his super busy schedule for today's interview.

We'll see you back here next week for another Pawsome Pet of the Week!

Let's Connect!

About the Author

I'm a former Veterinary Technician of 5 years. I graduated college as a Vet Tech in 2007 and have worked with all kinds of animals including cats, dogs, birds, small mammals, and reptiles. I have a special interest in exotic pet care and husbandry. Now, I'm a Professional Pet Blogger sharing my adventures and knowledge at my blog, Pawsitively Pets. My current pets include a Pit Bull and two cats.

Sponsors and Products We Love

Past Blog Posts

Search This Blog

Award Nominations

Disclaimer

All content shared at Pawsitively Pets is written by Ann Staub unless stated otherwise. The information provided here is meant to be informative. This website is not meant to diagnose pet health problems, treat conditions, or replace veterinary care. All opinions shared here are our own and may differ from yours.